Adjusting mechanism for printing or duplicating machines



July 19, 1955 E. J. JANKE ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING OR DUPLICATING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 11, 1952 IN V EN TOR. [bk/4E0 I Jar/k5 B 6221,7200, v7 fi q July 19, 1955 E. J. JANKE 2,713,306

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING OR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed July 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I g 6 fowneo J." BY

%, 7&1? Yzw firramen United rates atent O ADJUSTENG lvlECI-IA 'l'Sh-i FOE-i PRINTHNG 6R DUPLICATENG Ii AEHENES Edward J. Eartha, Cieveland, Ohio, assignor to Addressegraph-Multigraph Corporation, fileveland, Ohio, a corporation of Deiaware Appiication Juiy 11, 1952, Serial No. 293,283

Claims. (Cl. 161-243) This invention relates to improvements in/ or relating to mechanisms for adjusting the position of one drum of a rotary printing or duplicating machine relative to a coacting drum or a paper feeding mechanism. This therefore is the general object of the present invention.

Many types of rotary printing or duplicating machines include a pair of printing drums which are geared together, as for instance a master plate drum and a platen or ofiset drum, the former being provided with a printing image to be reproduced and the latter with a paper gripper mechanism. It is often desirable that one of these drums be partially rotated about its axis relative to the other drum to change the position of the paper gripper relative to the printing image, and thereby control the position of the imprint on the sheets fed to the gripper. Many such machines include coacting gears which are mounted on the ends of the respective drums, the gear of one drum being adjustably mounted thereon. One form of adjustment for the gear includes an axially extending bolt which is passed through an arcuate slot in the gear and is threaded into the end of the drum, thereby clamping the gear in the desired adjusted position relative thereto.

Other types of rotary printing or duplicating machines include a drum to which a cam is secured by a slot and bolt connection so that the cam may be adjusted relative to the drum and clamped in its adjusted position by a bolt. Such cams are used to control a sheet feeding mechanism to time the entrance of sheets to be printed to the bite of the drum and a coacting drum or platen roller. In many instances, particularly in ofiice printing and duplicating machines, the drums are closely embraced by protecting and supporting side frames or guard housings. This makes access to the adjusting bolts at the ends of the drum diflicult. Further these bolts become damaged by operators who, while more or less skilled in the operating of oflice machines, are poor mechanics.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of an adjusting mechanism which may be operated by unskilled help Without danger of damage to either the machine or the adjusting mechanism.

The present invention provides an adjusting mechanism which is carried by the side frame or guard of the machine and which is manually movable into engagement with the bolt of the drum adjustment. This invention includes an axially slidable wrench permanently mounted in the side frame of the machine and arranged to be manually slid to and from engagement with the adjusting bolt or nut of the drum.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description referring to certain embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a printing or duplicating machine incorporating the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail of a printing drum hav- Patented July 19, 1955 ing a control member comprising a driving gear adjustably mounted thereon, the plane of the figure being indicated by the lines 33 on Figs. 1 and 4;

Fig. 4 is an axial section through the adjusting mechanism and the associated drum parts, the plane of the section being indicated by the lines 44 on Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating the parts in a difierent position;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section, the plane of the section being indicated by the lines 6-6 on Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the modified form of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating the modification; and

Fig. 9 is a transverse section through the modification, the plane of the section being indicated by the lines 9-9 on Fig. 7.

A printing or duplicating machine incorporating the present invention is shown, more or less diagrammatically in Figs. 1 to 3. As there illustrated, the machine comprises a pair of side frame members 10 and 11, spaced by transverse frame members one of which is indicated at 12. Rotatably mounted in and extending between the frame members 14] and 11 are three coacting printing drums; a master form drum 15, a transfer or offset drum 16, and a platen drum 17. The embodiment illustrated is particularly well adapted for use in connection with planographic printing process, and hence would be provided with the usual dampening and inking mechanisms not shown.

The offset drum 16 is shown as being provided with a set of sheet grippers 18. These grippers receive sheets fed from a feed table 19 and carry them through the bite of the offset drum 16 and the platen drum 17, discharging them from the machine in the usual manner.

The machine may be either power or hand driven. When the machine is power driven, the master drum 16 may be provided with a pulley which is connected by a driving belt to a motor in the usual manner. Such mechanisms are Well known and hence are not illustrated herein. When the machine is to be hand operated, a hand wheel 29 may be secured to the shaft of the master drum 15. The drums 16 and 17 are rotated in synchronism with the master drum by coacting gears 20, one gear being secured to an end of each of the drums. One of the gears, for instance the gear 29 of the offset drum 16, may comprise a gear ring which is retained in place, on a shoulder 21 at the end of the drum, by the heads of retaining bolts 23 which overlap the ring. Clearance is provided between the heads of these bolts and the ring to permit the ring to be easily rotated relative to the drum. The gear ring is provided with an elongated arcuate slot 24 through which a bolt 25 passes. This bolt is threaded into the end of the drum and is provided with an enlarged head 26 which, when the bolt is tightened, clamps the gear ring in an adjusted position on the drum. When the bolt 25 is loosened its associated drum may be held stationary and the hand wheel 29 rotated to rotate the master drum 15 relative to the offset drum 16, thereby changing the position of the image 28 on the master drum relative to the paper grippers 18. When the desired relative position between the image 28 and the paper grippers 18 is reached, the bolt 25 is tightened, thereby clamping the gear 20 to the drum 16 so that the drums 15 and 16 will rotate in synchronism.

Some types of duplicating machines have paper stops or paper feed mechanisms mounted on their frames. These control the time of admission of a sheet to the bite of a printing drum and platen drum or roller. Such stops and feed mechanisms are generally timed by a cam which is adjustably mounted on one of the printing drums in the same manner as heretofore described in connection with the gear 20. Such mechanisms are well known and accordingly will not be specifically illustrated 01' described herein. However, in these machines the position of the image on the sheet is adjusted by controlling the time of admission of the sheet to the bite of the rotating drums, which is controlled by adjustment of the cam relative to its associated printing drum. Accordingly, it will be understood that while the invention will' be described in connection with a control member, comprising an adjustably mounted gear, the control member may comprise an adjustably mounted cam or the like.

Likewise it is contemplated that the clamping bolt may anism, as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, comprises a cylindrical bushing 31 mounted in a cylindrical opening 32 formed in the side frame member 11 adjacent the control member or gear 20. The inner end portion 33 of the bushing 31 abuts an annular flange 34 formed in the frame member 11. The bushing 31 is clamped in position in the frame member so that it may be rotatably adjusted for'purposes hereinafter to be described. As shown, a bar 35 extends across the inner face of the frame opening 32 and is engaged by the threaded inner ends .of a pair of spaced rbolts 36 which pass through the bushing 31 in a manner which permits the frame flange 34 to be clamped between the bar 35 and the inner face portion 33 of the bushing.

: A wrench is, slidably mounted in the bushing 31. This wrench comprises a rod 41 which is mounted in the bushing 31 for axial movement to and from the ends of the drum 16 and for rotation about its axis. The inner end of the rod 41 has an axially extending recess 42 which is hexagonal in section (Fig. 6), and in which a hexagonal wrench 42 ismountedwith its end projecting from the left hand end of the rod. The rod is somewhat longer than the bushing 31 and has a knob 45 secured to its outer end by aset screw 46.

Normally the rod41 and the wrench bar 43 are held in a retracted position, shown in Fig. 4, by a coil spring 49 which is interposed between the outer face of the bushing 31 and the inner face of the knob- 45. To limit the movement of the rod 41 the bushing 31 is provided with a transverse slot 43 of limited width and the rod 41 is provided with a peripheral groove 47 in which a split spring ring 48 is mounted. The engagement of this ring with the walls 44 of the slot 43 limits movement of the rod 41 in either direction.

When in its retracted position (Fig. 4), the end of the wrenchmember 42 is spaced'from the outer face of the bolt 25. This bolt is provided with a hexagonally formed socket 27 to receive the hexagonal wrench member 42. Thus when the knob 45 and plunger 41 are pressed axially inward by the operator, against the action of the spring 49, the wrench member 42 may be forced into the socket 27 and the bolt loosened by rotation of the knob. whereupon the hand wheel 29 may be rotated to position the gear 20 relativeto' the drum 16 as desired. When the desired position is reached the knob 45 is rotated in the opposite direction to cause the bolt 25 to clamp the gear ring 20 against the end of the drum 16.

The hand wheel then is released, whereupon the spring 41 willcause-the rod and wrench member 42 to assume the positions shown in Fig. 4 following which the machine may be operated in the usual manner.

One of the features of the present invention is the formation of the head 26 of the bolt 25, and the wrench member 42 which prevents damage to the machine or the adjusting mechanism should the knob 45 be moved'inadvertently inward while the machine is in operation. As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the head 26 of the bolt 25 is conical, thereby providing a camming surface 52 which, should the knob 45 be pressed inward while the drum is rotating, will coact with a similarly beveled surface formed on the outer end of the wrench member 42 and earn the wrench member 42 and rod 41 outward wlthout damage to the mechanism. As heretofore mentioned the rod 41 of the wrench member is parallel with but ofiset from the axis of the.

ments are sometimes made to control printing pressure between such drum and an associated drum or drums.

The modified form of clamping device shown in Figs 7 to 9 inclusive, is similar tothat heretofore described. However, in the modified device the wrench 42 and rod 41 are normally urged in a direction to coact with the bolt 25 by the spring 49, and a manually releasable latch 63 is provided to hold the wrench out of engagement with the bolt. To a great extent, the parts comprising the, modified form are either similar or identical to those heretofore described in connection with the form, shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive. Such corresponding parts are marked with the same identification characters.

In the form shown in Fig. 7 the bushing 31 is provided with an outward extension 60 which is secured in place by the bolts 36. The spring 49 is interposed between the washer 4S and the inner face of the bushing extension 69, passing freely through an enlarged'opening 61 in the bushing 31. Accordingly in the modified form, thespring 49 normally acts to urge the wrench member 42- into engagement with the head 26 of the drum bolt 25.

The rod 41 of the modification normally is held in its withdrawn position, shown in Fig. 8, bya latch 63. This latch is pivoted to the outer face of the bushing extension 60 by a pivot bolt 64, and is normally drawn into an annular recess 65, encircling the rod 41, by a spring 66 which extends between a pin 67 on the latch and a pin 68 on the extension 60. .If the operator desires to usethe wrench, the latch 63 is manually released, whereupon the. spring 49 forces the wrench outward into the path of the bolt head 26. The operator then holds the latch withdrawn, and slowly rotates the drum until the cam surface 53 of the head 26 engages the beveled end 54 of the wrench member 42 and cams it outward until it rides upon the outer surface of the bolt head. "Continued slow movement of the drum then permits the spring 49 to seat'the wrench 42 in the socket 27 of the bolt head 26. The operator then releasesthe'latch 63 and, by means of the knob 45, rotates the wrench therebyloosening the bolt 25 and then adjusts the gear 20 as heretofore described. When the adjustment is complete the operator, grasping the knob 45, withdraws the wrench from engagement with the bolt head, whereupon the latch 63 drops into the recess 65in the rod and retains the rod and wrench member in their outermost or disengaged positions.

Should the latch 63 be released inadvertently while the machine is operating, the cam surface 52 of the bolt head 26 will coact with the beveled end 54 of the wrench 43 and cam the wrench and rod 41 rearwardly u'ntil the latch member again seats in'the groove or recess 65, whereupon the latch will be held in its withdrawn position. It will be noted that the right hand surfacejof the groove 65 is beveled slightly as shown at 69. Accordingly,

' as the rod is forced rearwardly by the head 26 of the bolt,

the latch engages the bevel surface 69 .of the peripheral groove, whereupon the spring 61 causes the latch 63. .to cam the rod -41 to the right a short distance thereby in- 5 suring clearance between the wrench 42 and the bolt head 26.

Having thus described the invention it will be seen that it may well be applied to existing machines and is exceedingly simple to operate. The cam surfaces of the adjusting bolt or nut and Wrench coact to facilitate positioning of the wrench relative thereto. Likewise should the Wrench inadvertently be moved toward the bolt or nut, these cam surfaces coact to avoid damage to the parts. As shown in the modified form this camming action maybe utilized to cause a latch member to engage the latch to move it out of the path of the nut or bolt and automatically latch it in its disengaged position.

I claim:

1. A rotary printing machine having a frame, a rotary printing drum mounted therein, a control member having an arcuately extending slot mounted on one end of the drum and rotatable about the axis of the drum, means to secure the control member in an adjusted position on the drum, said means including a bolt threadingly engag the drum and passing through the slot in the control member, said bolt having a clamping head provided with a conical side surface and a wrench receiving socket, a wrench being mounted in said frame and movable parallel with but offset from the axis of the drum axially to and from the end of the drum, resilient means normally acting to move the wrench away from the drum, said wrench having a formation on its inner end to enter said socket whereby rotation of the wrench will loosen said bolt and the drum held against rotation by the wrench while the control member is rotated and the bolt then tightened to fix the adjusted relative positions of the drum and control member, said conical surface coacting with the inner end of the wrench consequent upon a slow rotary movement of the drum and inward manual pressure exerted on the wrench to cam the wrench outward onto the outer surface of said head and thereby facilitate entrance of the wrench member in the socket.

2. In a rotary printing machine, a frame, a rotary printing drum mounted therein, a control member mounted on one end of the drum and rotatable relative thereto about the axis of said drum, a bolt threadingly engaging the drum to secure the control member in an adjusted position on the drum, said bolt having a head provided with a conical side surface and flat face having a wrench receiving socket extending inward therefrom, a cylindrical bushing rotatably mounted in said frame having its axis parallel with but ofiset from the axis of the drum, means to secure said bushing to said frame in an adjusted portion, a rod eccentrically mounted in sai bushing and movable axially therein to and from the end of the drum, said rod having a formation on its inner end to enter said socket, whereby the bolt may be rotated, said conical surface coacting with said formation consequent upon a rotary movement of the drum and inward pressure of the rod to cam the rod formation outward onto the outer surface of said head to facilitate entrance of the Wrench member in the socket, resilient means normally acting to move the rod away from the drum, a manually operating knob on the outer end of said rod and means coacting with the rod and bushing to limit the movement of said rod.

3. An adjusting mechanism for a rotary printing machine having a frame a rotatable drum mounted therein, a control member secured to one end of the drum, a bolt passing through an arcuate slot in the control member and threadingly engaging the drum, said bolt having an enlarged head adapted to engage and clamp the control member to the end of the drum, said bolt head having a cam through, a

surface, said adjusting mechanism comprising a wrench receiving socket extending inward from the outer face of said head, a rod mounted on said frame for axial movement in a direction parallel with the axis of the drum to and fr m the path of said bolt head, a wrench on the inner end of said rod and adapted to engage said socket, resilient means normally acting on said rod to move the wrench towards said drum, a latch to hold the rod against the action of said spring and maintain the Wrench disengaged from the bolt, whereby engagement of the cam surface of the bolt head with the wrench moves the rod away from the drum, and resilient means acting on said latch to cause said latch to reengage said rod consequent upon said movement of the rod by said cam surfaces and retain the wrench in a withdrawn position.

4-. in rotary printing machine, a pair of spaced frame members, a printing drum mounted for rotation between said members, a control member secured to one end of the drum and having an arcuate slot extending therebolt passing through said slot and threadingly en aging the drum, said bolt having an enlarged head to engage and clamp the control member to the end of said drum, said bolt head having a conical side surface and a face having a wrench receiving socket extending axially therein, a wrench mounted on one of said frame men bers for movement in a direction parallel with but spaced from the axis of the drum and to and from the path of said bolt head, said wrench having a formation on its inner end adapted to enter said socket, resilient means normally acting on said wrench to move the wrench towards said drum, whereby engagement of the conical surface of the bolt head with said formation moves the wrench away from the drum, a manually releasable latch to hold the wrench against the action of said spring and maintain it disengaged from the bolt, resilient means acting on the latch to cause the latch to engage said wrench consequent upon said last named movement of the wrench, said wrench having a peripheral groove to receive said latch, and wherein said groove has a cam surface to coact with said latch and further withdraw said wrench.

5 In a rotary printing machine a frame, a drum rotatably mounted in said frame, a control member secured to one end of the drum, a bolt threadingly engaging the drum and having an enlarged head overlying said member to clamp the control member to the end of the drum, a Wrench member mounted in said frame for movement in a direction parallel with but spaced from the axis of the drum to and from the path of said bolt head and having a Wrench formation on its inner end adapted to coact with said bolt head, resilient means normally acting on said Wrench to move the wrench member towards said drum, a manually releasable latch to maintain the wrench spaced from the bolt head, and means acting automatically consequent upon rotation of the drum to return the wrench to its latched position.

in the file of this patent UNETED STATE PATENTS 1,967,266 Rowell July 24, 1934 2,021,894 Morse Nov. 26, 1935 2,180,488 Van Harnersveld Nov. 21, 1939 2,220,264 Morrison Nov. 5, 1940 2,249,313 Kropp July 15, 1941 2,264,386 Kropp Dec. 2, 1941 2,511,602 Sperber June 13, 1950 2,547,533 Mills Apr. 3, 1951 2,573,814 Singleton Nov. 6, 1951 

